Greenfield's Discovery School at Four Corners to get state grants to repair the roof, boiler and windows

GREENFIELD – The Discovery School at Four Corners will get a roof repair, a new boiler and modern windows thanks to a grant from the state School Building Authority.

Last renovated in 1991, the elementary school still has its original windows from 1955. The boiler is about 20 years old, and there are holes in the roof. Upgrading these could help the district consume less fuel and therefore save money, said municipal finance director Lane Kelly.

The grant will fund the project to an estimated maximum of $1,474,447 through the Green Repair program, which promotes energy efficiency improvements. Greenfield will pay the total $1.9 million and then receive a reimbursement of about 79 percent from the building authority.

In January, the Town Council approved the spending.

The project will take at least a year and will mostly work around the students’ schedule.

“The roof will go on while the children are in school,” said Kelly. “It won’t disrupt them too much. They won’t have to leave the building.”

Re-roofing will last about through the end of September, and the other work likely will be done when the students aren’t in the building, she said.

Kelly said there was no risk to students. If there were any hazardous materials used, they would be in small amounts and the children would not be exposed to them, she said.

Four Corners is a Massachusetts Innovation School that teaches students using more flexibility and creativity than a traditional school. Kelly said the construction could offer an opportunity for education about green energy, but “that’s just a guess on my part.”

An application for renovation of the high school is active with the state. The city has also submitted Green Repair Statements of Intent for Newton School, Federal Street School and the Academy of Early Learning at North Parish.